


Track

by clarkjoekent



Series: Oblivious Teachers and Meddling Kids AU [1]
Category: Naruto
Genre: Alternate Universe - High School, Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Coach Gai, Family Feels, First Meetings, M/M, all the kids play sports, english teacher kakashi
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-05-17
Updated: 2020-05-17
Packaged: 2021-03-02 19:54:02
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,788
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24242374
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/clarkjoekent/pseuds/clarkjoekent
Summary: Kakashi gets interrupted during one of his lessons by a coach with a bowl cut whose name eludes him. Somehow the coach managed to worm his way into Kakashi's life and heart, probably thanks to his kids.
Relationships: Hatake Kakashi/Maito Gai | Might Guy
Series: Oblivious Teachers and Meddling Kids AU [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1749796
Comments: 6
Kudos: 78





	Track

**Author's Note:**

> I've had this idea in the works for a while now, a friend blessed me with this idea and I finally finished it. I'm making it a series because I have ideas for the kids and more KKG shenanigans. It'll just all take place in this AU.

“Hello, sorry to interrupt your class but I have to talk to Sakura and Naruto real quick about a schedule change.” A man in an all green tracksuit softly knocked on Kakashi’s classroom door, nearly scaring the poor teacher. He had a clipboard and a silver whistle around his neck. Kakashi had to reach back into the depths of his mind to find the teacher’s name. It was right there on the tip of his tongue. 

“Uh sure.” Kakashi looked over at the students in question and waved them to the weird man, Coach Something. He turned back to the board and continued to write and think about the Coach’s name. He knows it. 

“Thanks Coach Gai!” Naruto’s loud mouth saved Kakashi from thinking. Both students returned and sat back down. 

“Sorry again Kakashi-san!” Coach Gai waved and then shut the door. Kakashi watched the man leave and then continued his lesson. He may have been distracted just a little, Coach Gai was easy on the eyes. After class Naruto and Sakura approached their teacher.

“We might miss class next week, they changed the track meet so we have to leave an hour earlier.” Sakura slid a form to Kakashi. 

“You guys are in track?” Kakashi could see maybe Sakura but half the time Naruto makes Hinata turn in his papers instead of him walking three feet to Kakashi’s desk. Shikamaru is rubbing off on him. 

“Uh yeah? I don’t wear this orange tracksuit for my health.” Naruto rolled his eyes and looked at Sakura like Kakashi was losing it. 

“My own kids don’t tell me shit.” Kakashi glared at his adopted kids. 

“You literally signed the permission slip.” 

“I thought it was because you were failing.” Kakashi stood up from his desk and pushed his kids towards the door. They had to pick up Sasuke from the college nearby. 

“That’s even worse Kakashi.” 

They piled in Kakashi’s beat up car and got Sasuke. To Kakashi’s disbelief Gai was there too picking up an annoyed kid with long hair. “We should get ramen tonight.” Naruto poked Kakashi, breaking him from his thoughts. 

“Fine.” Kakashi pulled into Ichiraku’s parking lot and a collective groan was heard from the back seat. “Suck it up, it’s Naruto’s turn to choose dinner.” 

The next day Kakashi ran into Gai in the teacher’s office. He went from never seeing the man to seeing him everywhere. 

“Hello Kakashi-san!” The coach was wearing his normal bright green tracksuit and an orange headband. 

“Ah hello Gai.” Kakashi went straight to the coffee pot and poured the burnt coffee into his dog mug. 

“I noticed you were picking up Sasuke from the college! He’s in some of my son’s classes.” Gai’s smile was bright and warm. 

“That kid is your son?” Kakashi asked, trying to avoid the smile. 

“Yes! I have two sons and a daughter!” Gai pulled his wallet out and showed Kakashi a family picture. One of the kids looked exactly like him. 

“Me too.”

“I know! Sakura and Naruto are amazing runners. Naruto is better at sprinting, Sakura has more stamina.” Gai gushed about them like they were his kids too. 

“I haven’t had a chance to watch them run.” Kakashi really didn’t know his kids were on the team. He feels bad about not paying enough attention but he really has been busy. He’s got another job outside of teaching to pay for the house they just got. Writing was starting to lose its luster. He knew the kids were doing something but because of their past they learned to be independent and they rarely asked Kakashi for anything. 

Gai smiled and wrote something down on his clipboard. He ripped the paper off and passed it to Kakashi. “All the future meets. You should try making the one I circled. It’s the biggest one and I know they would love it if you came.” 

“Thank you, I’ll try.” Kakashi glanced at the paper. Next to the circled date there was a phone number. When Kakashi looked up Gai was gone. “Damn.” The date was on a Saturday. The same day Sasuke had his ballet class. Sakura drives so she’ll probably take them and he can drop Sasuke off and surprise the kids. 

He didn’t know it was an outdoor meet so he dressed like he normally does. The sun was beating down on him by the time he made it into the stands. He spotted Naruto and Sakura in a crowd of kids, their backs were to him. He didn’t bother shouting it might throw them off. 

Naruto managed to place fifth in the school and eighth in all of Konoha. Sakura was up and Kakashi was baking. He moved down into the shade by the bathrooms and watched his daughter place first. He didn’t mean to cheer but he couldn’t help it. She turned and looked at him dead in the eyes, her face red from her run. She smiled and waved at him before she was ushered off the track. Kakashi also gained the attention of a certain coach amidst his cheering. 

“I told you she was good.” Gai snuck up behind Kakashi, scaring him yet again. “Are you hot?” 

Kakashi glanced at Gai and shrugged. “It’s not bad right here.” He was in fact sweltering. Wearing a sweater was a bad idea. He noticed Gai was wearing shorts and a tank top with the words “World’s Best Coach” written on the front. The tracksuit hides all of Gai’s muscles and now they are on full display. 

“Here you should stand under the coach umbrella, it’s really cool there.” Gai took Kakashi’s arm and pulled him to the spot he was talking about. He wasn’t wrong, the breeze felt good. 

“Are your kids on the team?” Kakashi didn’t see them when he came in. 

“Nope! Neji and Lee are on a judo team and Tenten is in a kendo team at the college.” Gai’s smile was infectious. 

They watched Sakura make the top three in all of Konoha and Kakashi felt pride. Naruto spotted him and came over to watch. Gai and Kakashi kept making small talk, apparently he had adopted Lee, when he was a baby and the other two when they were much older. 

Kakashi’s old teacher had died when Naruto was born, so he took the baby under his roof. He wasn’t expecting to adopt anymore until Sakura came into Naruto’s life at the elementary school. Sasuke was 10 when his parents died and Kakashi found himself gaining another child. 

“Neji is my most recent child. He’s stubborn but every once in a while I get to see him smile and it’s all worth it.” Gai smiled and Kakashi’s heart skipped a beat. _Where was this man hiding all this time?_

They watched Sakura retrieve her medal and Kakashi made sure to give her a hug. He was proud of both his kids. The team wanted to go out and celebrate, Kakashi had to go pick up Sasuke so he left them in Gai’s hands. 

Kakashi managed to watch the last 3 minutes of Sasuke’s dance with his partner and he realized all three of his kids were extremely talented. He told the teen about Sakura winning and Naruto placing and he looked like it was a no brainer. 

Sakura and Naruto got home late, Kakashi was in the middle of grading papers. He gave them both another hug before they went to tell Sasuke everything. He smiled to himself as he heard Naruto yell in excitement about Sakura's win. He moved through a stack of papers, his hand cramping up, until his eyes landed on the event form Gai passed him. Kakashi figured Gai wrote his own number on the paper and he decided to try and call it. 

He’s been meaning to thank Gai for letting him in the coach area to cool off. He pulled his phone out and looked at the time. It was 7 pm, maybe it was too late. He sighed and then started dialing. If he doesn’t answer he won’t call back. Two rings and he heard Gai’s voice. 

“Hello?” 

“Uh Gai it’s Kakashi -” 

“Oh! Kakashi! I was wondering when you were going to call! Did Sakura and Naruto make it home okay?” 

“Yeah they got home an hour ago. I think they finally crashed.” 

Gai laughed, “Good! They worked their butts off today. Good kids.” 

“Yeah they are. I wanted to thank you for letting me into the coach area. I was uh dying in the heat.” 

“I figured. I’m glad you showed up today. They looked really happy. So did you.”

Kakashi cleared his throat, he knew he was blushing and he was glad this conversation was over the phone. “I’m proud of them.”

“Sakura couldn’t stop talking about you at the dinner.” Kakashi heard something clank in the background, like a weight. Gai was lifting weights while he was talking to him. 

“I wish I could’ve seen them run sooner.” 

“You saw them today and that’s what matters.” Gai huffed. 

“Well I just wanted to call and thank you for everything. So thanks.” Kakashi didn’t want to bother the man. 

“Hey it’s my job. I’ll see you on Monday. Good night Kakashi.” Gai’s voice was soft, completely different from what he’s used to. 

“Good night Gai.” Kakashi hung up, smiling. He couldn’t wait for Monday. He got up from the table and stretched. He checked on the kids, who were piled in Sasuke’s bed asleep. He pulled a blanket out from under them and tucked them in. 

The weekend went by quickly. He let Sasuke clear the living room so he could practice, Sakura and Naruto cheering him on. 

“You guys know you can tell me when you have meets and recitals right?” Kakashi threw Sasuke a bottle of water. 

“We didn’t want to bother you.” Naruto smiled. 

“You’re my kids, you aren’t bothering me.” Kakashi rolled his eyes. He should’ve paid more attention. He should’ve known. 

“Okay, we will write it all down on the calendar for the future meets.” Sakura pulled out a pen and started scribbling dates on the family calendar. Almost every weekend was busy. Sakura highlighted the really important dates knowing he will try and get to see them all. 

Monday rolled around and Gai was waiting for Kakashi outside of the main entrance. 

“Hello Kakashi!” Gai had his usual tracksuit on. His son Lee was standing next to him holding a gym bag. 

“Hello Gai. Little Gai.” Kakashi smiled at the kid who smiled back. 

“Rock Lee!” He held his hand out and Kakashi took it. “I have to go to class but it was nice to finally meet you!” Lee had the same ecstatic energy his father had, if not more as he bounded up the steps and into the school. 

Kakashi didn’t miss the phrasing, he glanced at Gai. “Finally?” 

“He was there lifting weights while I was talking to you Friday night. He was curious.” Gai nodded, content with his answer and motioned towards the school. Kakashi laughed and walked ahead of the coach. Lee was the one lifting weights. Makes more sense now. 

They walked side by side to Kakashi’s classroom. Gai noticed Kakashi was wearing a green sweater, matching Gai’s tracksuit color. The coach let out a soft laugh. 

“What?” Kakashi glanced at the Coach, both men arriving at Kakashi’s classroom door.

“We match.” 

Kakashi looked at his sweater and smiled. “It’s your influence.” 

Gai nodded. “Very powerful.” 

Kakashi rolled his eyes. He actually wasn’t thinking this morning. He was too busy trying to get out of the door and to the school to see Gai. Kakashi glanced around his full classroom and sighed. He had a lesson on creative writing today and he knows the kids are going to go off the walls. Too much energy for this early in the morning. 

“I’ll see you later Gai.” Kakashi waved and walked into the classroom. Gai smiled and left the doorway. He could hear Kakashi already yelling at some kid named Kiba and the beginning bell hasn’t even gone off yet. 

Kakashi was right about the lesson. The amount of weird off the wall essays he collected today was almost too much for him to grade. He could tell that the kids soaked the lesson up like a sponge so at least the essays are on the right path. He decided to grade during lunch, he liked the silence of the teachers wing. 

He didn’t notice Gai walking in until the man dropped a boxed lunch on his desk. The startled teacher looked up and got an eye full of white teeth. 

“I noticed you weren’t in the teachers lounge so I brought you lunch. It’s important to eat Kakashi.” Gai pulled a chair from another desk and pulled it up to Kakashi’s desk. The coach pushed the lunch closer to the teacher who accepted the offered food. 

“Thank you. I do eat Gai.” 

“Not according to Sasuke. I asked him where you’d be and he said you were hiding and not eating.” Gai frowned. 

Kakashi pointed to the pile of papers, “I’m not hiding, I'm grading.” 

“All the same.” Gai laughed and started eating. Kakashi sighed and joined in. 

“Naruto said you have dogs?” Gai was trying to keep a conversation going. 

“I have eight dogs. They are kinda on the old side but they think they are puppies.” Kakashi took his phone out and showed Gai the wallpaper. All of his dogs were in a pile on the floor. The only picture he has of them all. Gai asked for their names, which Kakashi was happy to oblige. 

“Impressive. I have a massive tortoise. He likes to hide outside but he can’t resist coming inside when it’s salad time.” Gai showed Kakashi his pet and massive was an understatement. 

Kakashi couldn’t help but smile and listen to Gai ramble on about the types of vegetables Ningame eats. He could listen to Gai talk all day, doesn’t even have to be anything important. They almost lost track of time. Kakashi got minimal grading done but he knows more about Gai which in his books is a good trade off. 

Gai walked with him back to his class and they said goodbye. 

This was a constant. Kakashi would meet Gai at the school entrance, every once in a while Tenten or Lee would be with him. Sometimes he would ask Gai’s kids about their morning or their after school activities. Sakura and Naruto liked to walk in right as the bell rang but they did manage to say hi to Gai a few times and throw Kakashi an odd look. 

About the third week in Sakura pulled Kakashi aside and asked him if they were dating. 

“No.” Kakashi laughed. 

“It looks like you are. Naruto and Sasuke have bets drawn up.” Sakura crossed her arms, her glare sharp. 

“Look if we were dating you’d know.” 

“I don’t think _you_ know you guys are dating.” 

“Who’s dating?” Gai walked into his classroom right on time for their usual lunch. 

Sakura huffed and stomped out of the classroom muttering about her dad being ridiculous. Gai watched her leave and then turned his attention to Kakashi. 

“Apparently my kids think we are dating.” Not that Kakashi would mind having Gai’s strong arms wrapped around his waist, pulling him in for a warm kiss. 

“My kids think so too.” Gai furrowed his brows and plopped down on the seat Kakashi pulled out for him. 

“Hm.” Kakashi opened his lunch,watching Gai intently. His face was red, it could be from him running up three flights of steps, because he insists on running and not walking like a normal person. 

“Maybe we should.” 

“Should what.” Gai’s concerned voice pulled Kakashi from his thoughts. 

“Date.” 

Kakashi swallowed his bite and raised an eyebrow at his friend. “We should date?” 

“I mean we already are technically. We eat lunch every day, we walk to each other’s classrooms, we know everything about each other.” Gai grabbed Kakashi’s hand and smiled. “Let’s do it!” 

Kakashi looked at the warm hand that wrapped around his own and laughed. “I guess.” 

Gai pulled Kakashi closer and put his forehead against his. “I can’t kiss you while we are working but this will have to do for now.” 

Kakashi blushed and sputtered making Gai laugh. Of course Gai told his kids as soon as he got the chance. Sasuke won the bet and he used the money to treat Gai to a nice lunch, probably to threaten him, like usual. Sakura tagged along, claiming she wanted free food. 

Naruto couldn’t get over the idea Kakashi was dating his coach. 

**Author's Note:**

> No lie my dad straight up didn't know I was in a biomedical club after school for three years but he knew my little brother was in band. Even when he'd pick me up after school and I'd talk to him about our meetings. 
> 
> In Kakashi's defense at least he tried to get involved after he realized his mistake. My dad just said fuck it.

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  * [Something sweet, Something saccharine](https://archiveofourown.org/works/25785676) by [Thosesweetninjas](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Thosesweetninjas/pseuds/Thosesweetninjas)




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